“Chess is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an advertising agency.” Raymond Chandler

I love this quote but nevertheless I have been looking forward to working for an ad agency, and yesterday I got my chance.

After 2 hours I realized that it was the first time I’d actually used my brain at any length for a job that I’ve had, and I felt at home in a work-place setting for the first time in my life. I was lucky enough to secure an internship a week before graduating and got my start yesterday (They have insisted to me at every turn that they are NOT an ad agency, but I haven’t seen anything that would indicate otherwise.) Over the summer I will be doing some copy-writing for them and then will see where it goes from there.

I learned several things yesterday that might help you prepare for your internships.

1. Be vigilant. You are under scrutiny and have deadlines to meet before you even know it. After my initial interview I was asked to make a one page ad for one of their programs, which I completed 2 days later, due to some computer problems at home. What I didn’t know, and wasn’t told, was that I was expected to have it in the next day.

2. Terms change. Every workspace (especially creative ones) has different terminology. “Deadlines” can become “deliverables,” and “meetings” can become “collaborations.” Keep your ears and eyes open and learn the lingo as quick as possible, or else you will be as articulate as someone who is struggling to speak a foreign language.

3. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to close the blinds.

4. Project confidence: this is a no-brainer for any new opportunity, but I believe it applies even more for internships, where your reputation is the most important equity that you have. Because you’re not getting paid, you might think you have nothing to lose. This is not true.

There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don’t be afraid to have fun when branding yourself, but keep it within reason. When the woman who recruited me sat my down to talk about my first project, I straddled the line. She said that it will be refreshing to have another writer around, because the CEO is probably the best writer working there. I replied:

“Not anymore.”

We shared a laugh and I said I was only kidding, of course.

I really wasn’t, but that’s another story.

5. Let your work speak for itself. Telling someone that you’re the best for the job is not even half of the deal: rising to the occasion and putting forth your best work will ensure your success, if not at your internship, then somewhere else.